Gavin Newsom wants an explanation.
The California governor, speaking at Wednesday’s UC Board of Regents meeting in San Francisco, urged UCLA to publicly explain how its move to the Big Ten Conference will benefit student athletes and the school’s partnership with UC Berkeley .
“The first duty of every public university is to the people — especially the students,” Newsom said of the Los Angeles Times. “UCLA needs to be clear to the public how this deal will enhance the experience for all of its student-athletes, honor its century-old partnership with UC Berkeley, and preserve the histories, rivalries, and traditions that enrich our communities.”
UCLA and USC announced last month that they would join the Big Ten in 2024, shocking the college football world and greatly expanding the Big Ten’s footprint.
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As a private university, USC is not part of the UC school system. UCLA is why Newsom is speaking out. The move to the Big Ten has put Berkeley and the Pac-12 conference at risk of losing millions in media rights revenue and more.
While Newsom wants an explanation, one benefit is already clear. The Big Ten’s next media rights deal is reportedly expected to be worth more than $1 billion. That will significantly help the Bruins’ sports department, which is reportedly in debt and was on the verge of shutting down several sports entirely before the move.
“I inherited a deficit with UCLA athletics,” Martin Jarmond, the school’s athletic director, told ESPN. “So when you’re facing a significant financial challenge, it’s difficult to just sustain it, let alone invest. This move not only preserves the programs we have now, but also allows us to invest in them at a level that can lead to greater competitive success.”
It’s unclear if UCLA will respond to Newsom’s request. There is no need for the athletic department to get permission from the UC system to reschedule conferences. According to the report, there is talk of UCLA having to pay UC Berkeley an “exit fee” to leave the conference, or even share TV earnings in the future. It is unclear whether university governors could impose such a fine.
“It’s about more than sport and more than money,” Newsom’s principal education adviser, Ben Chida, told the Times. “It’s about public trust. It’s about the mental health of students and athletes. And it’s about honoring the partnerships, stories and traditions that endure over a century.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants an explanation for UCLA’s move to the Big Ten. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)